2015–16 AmeriCorps Team
Community-Wide Task Force Collaboration
In the fall of 2015, eight AmeriCorps members spearheaded community-wide task force work to align community resources and pilot new projects in support of educational goals. These members served in host sites across the community and focused on educational priorities (including summer learning, attendance, school readiness, after-school enrichment, healthy readers, and skills gap) as well as key “backbone” functions to strengthen these community efforts (volunteer infrastructure and family/community engagement). In 2016–17, AmeriCorps Taskforce members will continue to support community education projects.
2015–16 Taskforce Pictured: Jacob Washington (Family/Community Engagement), Melissa Berman (Healthy Readers), Beth Crow (Summer Learning), Jessica Kite (School Readiness), Mary Zheng (After-School Enrichment), Delores Cowan (Skills Gap), Doug Cameron (Attendance), and Lee Smith (Volunteer Infrastructure).
Summer Learning Corps 2016
In addition to the eight members convening task force groups, the Grinnell AmeriCorps Partnership selected 21 Summer Learning Corps members to help facilitate summer enrichment programming for Grinnell kids. Summer Learning Corps members worked with kids in grades K-6 at Fairview Elementary School, supporting new school district and library outreach programming.
The school district hosted an after-school enrichment session for kids enrolled in the morning summer school program, and Drake Community Library expanded its “In Your Neighborhood” outreach program to include a daily month-long program for kids K-6 (“In Your Neighborhood @ Fairview”).
These new programs joined a robust array of summer options for kids in Grinnell. The 21 Summer Learning Corps members shared their love of reading with youngsters in both programs.
Pictured: 2016 Summer Learning Corps Members through the Grinnell AmeriCorps Partnership. Front row from left to right: Hanna Drennan, Felicity Meads, Olivia Maharry, Lica Ishida, Regan Kasprak, Rita Mertens, and Jozi Chaet. Middle row from left to right: Molly Skouson, Roland Roger, John Lof, Isabel Gerber-Brydolf, Regan Sharp, and Anna Cunningham. Back row from left to right: Jackson Schulte, Tanner Tokle, Avery Brennan, Reba Brooks, and Erin Johnson. Not pictured: Simone Downs, Charlotte Moisan, and Jaidenn Sheridan.